Easy Refrigerator Dill Pickles take only a few minutes to make. Once you make your own homemade dill pickles, you’ll never buy store bought again.

REFRIGERATOR DILL PICKLES

Easy Refrigerator Dill Pickles are seriously the best dill pickle you’ll ever enjoy! How is it that I am, ahem, let’s just say over 30-years-old and I’ve lived in Oregon (i.e. the state that pickles everything) for the past decade and a half, yet this was the first time I made my own homemade dill pickles? What on God’s green earth is wrong with me? Let’s just say that I officially feel like an Oregonian now.

Had I known how simple it was to make refrigerator dill pickles, I would have been doing it long ago. I mean, what’s not to love about a crunchy dill pickle from a fresh cucumber when you’re eating a loaded club sandwich or a stuffed burger.

Where can you find pickling cucumbers?

I’ve always found pickling cucumbers at the farmers market. Starting this summer, I decided to grow my own!

Grocery stores will carry them as well, but they are definitely a seasonal item. Some stores might try to convince you that other types of cucumbers are pickling cucumbers, but don’t be fooled. Pickling cucumbers have a very unique look and taste and it should be no surprise that they make the perfect pickles!

These are refrigerator pickles, however, which means that you just put everything in a jar, refrigerate, and wait. No canning. No sealing. Easy.

My first experience with dill pickles like these came a couple years ago when I traded some of my canned peaches for refrigerator dill pickles and freshly foraged chanterelle mushrooms with a friend. That was a win-win trade for sure, but I wanted to have a go at it on my own.

How to make refrigerator dill pickles:

All you have to do is heat the brine so that your salt and sugar dissolve.

Then you pour it over your freshly cut cucumbers which are nestled nicely in a jar with garlic, dill, and peppercorns.

Stick them in the refrigerator for a week and voila – they’re ready!

You were waiting for some catch, right? Like I lure you in with the word easy but then when you read the recipe you’re all like “What is she talking about? That’s not easy.” I wouldn’t steer you wrong, my friends. This is easy.

How long can you keep refrigerator pickles?

The salt and vinegar keeps them safe for a while at room temperature, but they will likely go bad before you finish eating the whole jar unless you refrigerate them

I recommend storing these refrigerator dill pickles no longer than two months in the refrigerator

Be sure to always use a clean utensil to pull them out as you do not want to contaminate the liquid from dirty hand germs

If you eat all the pickles, you can definitely reuse the brine and add more fresh cucumbers

Kitchen tools used to make these refrigerator dill pickles:

Mason jars – Not much to say about this kitchen staple other than they belong in everyone’s kitchen. You’ll never find me without at least two dozen at the ready!Flexible Measuring Cups – My sister and I first found these at a cooking class and we thought they were just the best invention. Any time you are measuring and/or pouring liquid, these are simply the best to have on hand. They make a great gift for your favorite cook, too!Mandoline – This is the best one I’ve ever used. Perfect for fast and accurate slicing! When I photographed this post and made the video, I used a hand slicer, but when I’ve made my refrigerator dill pickle recipe other times, I always break out the mandoline.

Watch the recipe video for my easy refrigerator dill pickles below:

Easy Refrigerator Dill Pickles

Easy Refrigerator Dill Pickles take only a few minutes to make. Once you make your own homemade dill pickles, you'll never buy store bought again.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10minutes

Cook Time 5minutes

Total Time 15minutes

Servings 18servings

Calories 26kcal

Author Krissy Allori

Ingredients

10-12pickling cucumbers

4cupswater

2cupswhite vinegar

2tablespoonskosher salt

1teaspoonsugar

big bunch of dill

1head of garlicskins removed, cloves smashed (less if its a strong garlic)

10peppercorn kernals

Instructions

Slice cucumbers into 1/4 inch slices or spears. Set aside

To make brine, combine water, vinegar, salt, and sugar in medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil and swirl to make sugar and salt dissolve. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Add cucumbers to jars. Do not pack them super tight as you you'll want room for the brine. Add the fresh dill, smashed garlic, and peppercorns to the jars. Finish by adding enough brine to cover the cucumbers. Seal with an airtight lid and store in the refrigerator for at least one week. Pickles should be good for at least 4-6 weeks after that.

Reader Interactions

Comments

This certainly sounds terrific and easy! Could you possibly provide a measured recipe if I want to make JUST 1(one) quart size jar? If that disappears,as I am sure it will,will venture into many more for Labor Day Bbq ! Thanks so much ,Lisa

Hi Gail, Is it possible you packed them too tight so that they’re not floating in the brine? The only other thing I can think of is that they are sliced too thick? I’ve never had that happen. Hmmm… -Krissy

Hi Robin, Its completely a matter of taste. I make it different each year and the amounts don’t change the flavor all that much. I like to pack them as full as I can with the garlic, dill, and peppercorns because I love the way it looks! – Krissy

Yours is the 2nd recipe I’m trying this summer, Krissy. Last one had too much sugar and used hot brine — I think your cooled brine will make for crisper pickles. Also, whether refrigerator pickles or processed in hot water bath, I always remove the blossom end of each cucumber. Many recipes advise this as there are nasty pickle-softening enzymes at the blossom end!
(I also came across a recipe that calls for adding grape leaves to each jar; the leaves’ tannin is an enzymatic crisping agent http://nchfp.uga.edu/questions/FAQ_pickle.html )

I followed your recipe and I am amazed at how easy and delicious my pickles are! My family loves them so much, I bought canning jars so I can make more and enjoy them throughout the winter. Do you know if I need to do anything different to your recipe to ensure they stay crunchy and delicious after I can them? Thank you!

Hi Krissy – made 12 qts of these with Armenian cucumbers and they are just fabulous! We are going thru them so quickly – my question – can I reuse the brine? I have millions more to make and didn’t want to waste week old brine…

I’ve made these with pickling cukes…..SO delicious! Out of curiosity I made up a batch today using quartered green tomatoes. They are fabulous! I had a few leftover tomatoes and some garlic, not enough for a whole jar. So I just added them to a jar we had already opened in the fridge. YUM!!

I recently tried similar pickles from a restaurant but they also had mustard seed in the recipe. I really liked the pickles so I’m trying to figure out how much mustard seed to add and when to add this. Any thoughts?

I recently tried pickles from a restaurant that, according to them, had the same ingredients but they also included mustard seeds. I want to replicate the recipe so i’m trying to figure out how much mustard seed to add and when to add these. Any thoughts?

I had two pickling cucumber plants from my step daughters horticulture class and after finally hoarding enough cucumbers (the kids kept stealing the cucumbers to just eat..lol ) I finally made some pickles in late Aug… to quote my husband “best pickles I’ve ever had!”
I grew some of my own dill too but didn’t quite have enough so I ended up buying a bundle of fresh dill to use ( btw Ladybugs apparently love dill- . one of my plantings had ladybugs getting busy soon as it Flowered and within a week I had 4-5 baby ladybugs I was able to watch grow up 🙂

I ended up making 2 batches of brine and kept a couple extra jars of it in the fridge.. and as they ripened, I’d pick them, wash em and cut them up and forget about them/hide them In the garage fridge… I still have a couple jars left and they are just as good if not better now in late Oct as they were in Aug. Still super crisp and tasty! A few of my cucumbers were a little bitter but the bitterness disappeared when they became pickles. Some of the cucumbers had been in the fridge a lil too long but they stayed nice and crisp. I cut the ends off prior to cutting them up.

I also strictly enforced no fingers in the jar so I was also able to reuse a couple of the brine jars as we ate through the pickles.

I may have put a bit too much garlic in the first batch of them but as they sat longer in the fridge they got less garlicky so that was good. Very flexible recipe as well- I ended up just divvying up all the dill I had into the jars and did add a few extra peppercorns – first few days I thought I overdid it but again like the garlic it toned way down after a week or so.

Overall great SUPER easy and fairly fun recipe I will be making again next year for sure!! Thank you!!

Hi. I tried this recipe out a couple weeks ago and it was a hit! I had friends over for a Christmas party and they found the pickles in the fridge! Everyone was raving about how amazing the pickles were. Now, I am getting ready to make 15 jars for friends and family Christmas presents. Awesome recipe!!

Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! The first time I made these pickles they were such a hit that they were devoured before the 1 week refrigeration period had even finished. I should have put a padlock on the fridge to keep everyone out! They were such a hit that I decided to make them to gift to everyone this Christmas. I made 15 pint size jars for everyone. They are just amazing. My Nana is a canning whiz but she has never made any sort of dill pickle. She is famous for her bread and butter pickles (that call for 4 cups of sugar per batch, sorry but that is just TO MUCH for me!). I have got to say that these dill pickles are giving her a run for her money! My 5 year old requests some every morning for breakfast! I have also recommended your recipe to a number of friends and family. 5 stars for sure!

I made these last weekend. Popped open one of the jars today – OMG!!!! Sooooo good! I’ll definitely make these again. I always give homemade (salsa, applesauce, fudge, jam, etc) food gift baskets at Christmas & these will definitely be in them this year! Thank you for sharing this recipe.

Krissy,
Went with your recipe and was extremely pleased. Have now made multiple jars for family and friends. Added some red pepper flakes to a couple of jars and chopped jalapeños to a couple of other jars for a little spice/heat. Will let you know how the turn out. Thank you.

I love making homemade pickles, I’ve been taking my aunts spot on making homemade, she’s suffering from breast cancer and can’t do much, I have her recipe which turns out just like Clausens pickles. Your recipe looks good and would like to try it but I will be leaving out the sugar lol

I was wondering with the vinegar, will this recipe work good with cider vinegar also? And if I can what do you recommend the right measurement for it and water?

I made these twice! They’re so good! Only made two jars the first time, but 8 the second time, I loved the so much! I added about 1/4 tsp. of red pepper flakes for a spicy kick! I can’t stop eating them!
Thanks for the recipe, I wish I cliffs add the picture I took of my batch!

I’ve made it several ways. I believe in the recipe I say to cool it and I do find that yields the crunchiest pickles, but I’ve put it in warm before (that’s actually what I did with the video) and the pickles turned out fantastic. I haven’t put the liquid in hot but other readers have.

Omg, I made these for the first time last week and cracked into the jar 2 days early and holy smokes! These are amazing! I shared with my co-workers and now I’m here making them again for the potluck bbq next week as it’s been demanded I bring this. I love them and I need to learn to properly can so I can have these all year and give them as Xmas gifts. Thank you for sharing this recipe.

My husband has been making crock pickles for many years. This year he wanted to try refrigerator pickles. These are every bit as good. Made 3 jars. We’ll be going back to the farmers market this weekend to get more pickles and dill. I have a feeling once the kids and grandkids taste them they’ll be gone in no time.

OMG – these are fabulous! Tastes like Clausen’s to me. So, so easy. I just used regular cucumbers out of the garden and they were on the big side – not picklers! I cut them into spears and if they were real seedy, i just scraped some off.
Thank You!

I love making refrigerator dill pickles! I never plant enough of my pickling cucumbers (or the moles did them up for me) so I always end up with a handful of cucumbers I need to do something with. This recipe is a great option for using up those cucumbers! 🙂

Made this recipe with a yield of 4 quart jars. 3 were thick slices and the 4th was long slices for sandwiches. I substituted habanero, jalapeno and serrano for the dill to make spicy pickles. I also added coriander seed as well. They are delicious!

Made these pickles yesterday, and noticed their turning blue in refrigerator! Anyone else run into this problem? I know garlic has enzymes that can cause this although I’d like to prevent next time. Any suggestions? Thank you!

Hi Krissy,
WOW!!!!
More than 2 years comments.
So I decided to comment.
-No more than a splash of vinegar
-No sugar
-Add some carrot sticks and 1 celery stick
-Add a smashed 100 mg aspirine(Bayer pill
to the liquid before pouring on the cucumbers.
This is THE trick to keep them FIRM.
Why keep them for years in the fridge?
Enjoy them fresh and tasty

Hy,
It prevents the various bacteria active
to rise their head. and prevents
the pickles to get soggy.
The trick is in our family for 4 generation s at least.
By the way:
We also use to add some all spice
berries with the black paper

My Mom’s recipe is similar with a few exceptions. Everything is added to each sealer/jar. Makes it so easy. I use small pickling cukes & leave them whole in the brine. Also use a pinch of Alum to each jar. The brine is not heated. Instead we use ice cold water & pour directly in the jar to the brim. The pickles need at least 2 weeks before eating. I make at least 20 quarts jars every year & they are good for a year in the fridge. I’m lucky to have an extra fridge in our basement. So crispy & so many compliments. Once the pickles are eaten – I add hard cooked eggs. They are ready in the fridge within a week. Yum!

Hi Rebekah, I’m not sure how long the brine will last. I still have some pickles in my fridge from the batch I made this summer and they still taste good. I guess it depends on your veggies? I would go by smell and taste and toss the second anything tastes “off”.

Hi! Thanks for sharing this recipe! I totally plan on trying this but without the sugar as I’m trying to change out as much sugar from my diet as possible. I do have a question. Is it possible for the recipe to work without boiling it? I just saw a recipe for pickled veggies(red onions, red cabbage and radishes) with just filling the jar with veggies then covering with vinegar. I need things as simple as possible due chronic illness so I was wondering if I could just fill jar with cucumbers, add vinegar and dill and close and refrigerate?

Hi Candy, the boiling helps the salt dissolve. If the salt will dissolve without boiling, then you should be fine. Honestly, that is the only reason I know of to boil it. All those canning experts out there – please chime in if there are other reasons.

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